C-Voyager's Saddle Fuel Tanks

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oldgrowth

New member
I thought I had posted photos of my fuel tanks in my photo album but had not.

Several members have asked me about them so I added photos in this sub-album here and can answer any questions anyone has about them.

I also added photos of other parts I made when I extended the hull.
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Wandering Sagebrush":3jnmpthm said:
What's building (boatwise) in the background? Looks interesting.
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Oh come on now...we all know how sly Dave is.

The pics of the tanks are nice, and the install looks very cool...but we all know Dave's true intention was to stir up some "mystery boat" conversation.

Tell me I'm wrong, Dave. Or better yet...fill in the blanks. :mrgreen:
 
starcrafttom":3um7gntr said:
I would tell you but I cant so I won't. I may or may not have been swore to silence but I cant remember. :wink:
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Well...given the number of different folks I heard it from at the SBS, it ain't much of a secret.

Come on, Dave...spill the beans. You know you wanna.
 
Dave,

Never mind the boat in the background, I am curious about those tanks.

Did you design and weld them yourself? If so, would you build them for someone else?

Could you design and build saddle tanks for a CD 22? Any idea on cost for that kind of project?

Thanks,
 
Dora~Jean":1gu6s6kg said:
Also like the generator tray, did you build it from scratch or mod something pre-built?
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I built it from scratch from 1/8th inch aluminum plate. Same stuff I built the tanks and shelfs with.

I hold the generator in the tray with a bungee cord when under way and I cover it with a plastic bag to keep the salt spray off. For security I have a chain that goes over the generator with lock to keep it from walking off.
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Larry H":2mgu00vq said:
Dave,
Never mind the boat in the background, I am curious about those tanks.
Did you design and weld them yourself? If so, would you build them for someone else?
Could you design and build saddle tanks for a CD 22? Any idea on cost for that kind of project?
Thanks,
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Larry – my brother and I did them ourselves. He is the welder. I would have to do some checking on aluminum prices. The aluminum plate I used was some we had setting around for many years. Don't know the current price for 1/8th inch aluminum plate.

I can tell you, they will be more expensive than most people will want to pay. Your question “Could you design and build saddle tanks for a CD 22?” The answer is we can do just about anything. I would need to see the boat and know what size tanks you wanted.
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I own a metal fab shop, and my current 1/8" 3003 alum retail prices are $7.25 per square foot, but my prices are gauged by typical small quantity sales. 5052 would be a better alloy for this purpose, and probably not cost any more than 3003, but i don't stock it.
I'd be more than happy to order material, shear, and form the parts at actual cost, but my insurance won't allow me to weld any sort of fuel container (even a new fabrication).

oldgrowth":ritb7buk said:
Larry H":ritb7buk said:
Dave,
Never mind the boat in the background, I am curious about those tanks.
Did you design and weld them yourself? If so, would you build them for someone else?
Could you design and build saddle tanks for a CD 22? Any idea on cost for that kind of project?
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Larry – my brother and I did them ourselves. He is the welder. I would have to do some checking on aluminum prices. The aluminum plate I used was some we had setting around for many years. Don't know the current price for 1/8th inch aluminum plate.

I can tell you, they will be more expensive than most people will want to pay. Your question “Could you design and build saddle tanks for a CD 22?” The answer is we can do just about anything. I would need to see the boat and know what size tanks you wanted.
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Dave dlt.gif
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Nothing against one off metal tanks but if there is demand/market for the saddle tanks could one of the current molded tank manufacturers be induced to do the blow molding? Look like a fairly simple shape for a plastics manufacturer.

Bill Uffelman
Las Vegas NV
 
Very nice looking construction and install on the tanks. They look very professional and add fuel capacity without losing usable space.

How much do they hold?

Bill
 
Best Day":3k75a1cd said:
Very nice looking construction and install on the tanks. They look very professional and add fuel capacity without losing usable space.

How much do they hold?

Bill
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Bill - Each tank will hold 22 gallons but I rarely put more than 20 gallons in each tank. I can use fuel out of either tank individually or both at the same time. With my switch on both, the tanks will self-level until I have less than three gallons per tank.

Venting was a problem because of the height of the tanks. I wanted the vents to be away from the deck, so I ran a line forward into the berth area and up the side of the cabin. You can see the vent in this photo. It is the silver dot between the side cleat and the C in C-Voyager. That location also protects it from water intrusion from sea spray.

There are two baffles in each tank to keep fuel from sloshing back and forth. A problem I had with the venting was, when the tanks were full and I would make any moderate to fast stop on a downhill slope, fuel would come out of the vent. I solved that with a vent surge protector. I should have put another baffle in the tank next to the vent hole when I made them.

The fill line had to be mounted on the end of the tank. There was not enough room to put a fill pipe on top of the tank. Because of the end mount, when you are fuelling up, the last two gallons go in very slow.

Pressure testing is very important when building fuel tanks. 4 psi for 48 hours is what they are normally tested at. I put 6 psi for 8 days just to make absolutely sure they would not leak.
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